The Silent Majority

OXFORD - A 2-year-old girl was strangled by an albino Burmese python more than 8-feet long early this morning in this rural community just west of The Villages, according to authorities.

Officials with Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission said it's likely this may be the state's first case of a non-venomous constrictor snake causing a death.

Moments ago, Sumter County Sheriff and state wildlife officials captured the python inside the home and placed it inside a bag. It's not known whether the snake will be euthanized. The python had a bloody gouge about a foot from the tip of its nose, where it was stabbed by its owner Charles Darnell.

Lt. Bobby Caruthers of Sumter County Sheriff's Office said the python was a family pet that apparently broke free from inside a glass aquarium in the home's living room. The snake then made its way into the girl's bedroom and apparently strangled her in the middle of the night, according to authorities. The girl was identified as Shaiunna Hare. The home is off County Road 466, tucked in the middle of pastureland.

Darnell, 32, found the snake - about 8.5 feet long - on top of the 2-year-old this morning after he noticed the snake was missing from the aquarium. He then started stabbing the reptile. Family members called 911 at 9:43 a.m. The child was dead when emergency crews arrived at 10 a.m. She had a bite mark on her head, authorities said.